


Damage Control

by dirtygoldensoul



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:08:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27415513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirtygoldensoul/pseuds/dirtygoldensoul
Summary: Bonnie Bennett has some tough shoes to fill. Her mother desiccated the Original vampire hunter Mikael. Her grandmother sits on the Gemini coven High Council which is no easy feat to attain. Her great grandmother created the first prison world and it goes on like that. How does she prove herself? An illicit romance with the precarious Gemini heir while forging dangerous alliances with vampires to battle a power-hungry dead witch might be a start. Bonkai AH/AU. TVD rewrite.
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett/Malachai "Kai" Parker, others
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	1. Bitchcraft

**Author's Note:**

> In which Bonnie is the certified badass she was meant to be and everyone has more than half a brain cell.

  


Smiling was such a pain. 

Bonnie had been doing it all night since dinner. That and pretending to listen to whatever her father’s new girlfriend was prattling on about. It was roasted vegetables. She'd been talking about roasted vegetables for half an hour. How much could really be said about the subject? Apparently, a lot. 

If Bonnie used a muting spell, would that make her a bitch? Not really; she’d been considering it all night long. Her dad might notice. Mom said she’d given him a Sanskrit ring which notified him whenever there was magic use around him but he stopped wearing it after the divorce. She might get away with it. But Bonnie promised her Dad there would be no shenanigans of any kind. She promised to give Sophie a chance. 

Even if the woman didn’t seem to enjoy talking about anything other than how long it took asparagus to crisp. 

“Sweet potatoes are tricky.” Sophie took a bite of her meatloaf. “I like to add a little butter as a cheat before baking. Moistens the peel a little bit.” 

“Amazing.” Bonnie intoned dully playing with the peas on her plate. 

Rudy shot her a warning look and she plastered another fake smile and increased her pitch. “Amazing!” 

“I like to think so too. It’s my little secret.” Sophie winked like she revealed where the Crown Jewels were hidden. Goddess, she was going to cry. This woman was so painfully boring. No wonder her Dad liked her. 

If pressed to reveal why her parents divorced, one could state it was because they had conflicting ideals. If you asked Bonnie, she’d say it was because Abby Bennett was a magical rolling stone who couldn’t be held down in one place and Rudy Hopkins realized that Bewitched was only humorous on TV not in real life. 

“What do you like to do for fun Bonnie? I hear you’re a cheerleader.” Sophie politely inquired, taking a sip of her water. 

Bonnie shrugged one-handed, “I’m also a witch who hunts vampires and supernatural creatures in my spare time.” 

There was silence. Rudy’s glare could cut through steel. Sophie looked dumbfounded. Bonnie burst into laughter slapping her palm on the table and making a few utensils clatter. “I’m just kidding. I did cheerlead but I gave that up like last year. Too busy for it now.” Dad got a pointed look for that one. The hunting party was a fib. This wasn’t Buffy and she had no badass martial arts skills. Not to mention Grams and her mom would kill her if they realized she went out actively seeking creatures to hunt. Plus, she liked to think she was more open-minded and wouldn’t just randomly kill vampires for existing. They needed to earn the pleasure of death by her hands. Not a very popular sentiment in her world but breaking the rules was more fun than she’d care to admit. 

He cleared his throat. “It’s so hard to keep up with your numerous extracurriculars.” She had literally none. Caroline begged her to join the cheer squad last year because their numbers were down then she promptly left after like a semester once it interfered with her other duties. The uniform was cute though. Of course, he was talking about the  _ other _ extracurricular activities. 

“Yup, I’m a busy little bee.” Bonnie drank some water. 

Sophie smiled managing not to sense the slight tension in the air. “When I was in school the baking club was my favorite club.” 

No shit. 

There was another half hour of the various techniques to steam zucchinis before the Purgatory thankfully ended and Sophie was escorted out by her Dad after saying how lovely it was to finally meet Bonnie. 

She put the dishes in the sink then took a brief moment of contemplation before snapping her fingers and they all instantly went cleaned and stacked neatly on the counter. Magic made shit so much easier. 

“Did you have to do that?” came her Dad’s disapproving voice from behind. 

Bonnie rolled her eyes not ready for this fight. “It’s literally the first time I’ve used magic all week Dad. It’s just dishes.” It wasn’t actually the first time but all week she’d done nothing but practice drills and barely had enough energy to do anything fun. 

Rudy grunted dropping a glass in the sink and washing it the old-fashioned way. “I know your mother and grandmother encourage you to use those powers all the time but sometimes it’s nice to do things with your hands. Magic can’t always be a crutch for you.” Crutch? She was a witch. It was in her blood. It was a part of her. The day magic stopped being possible for her to access was the day she died. 

“It’s not a crutch Dad.” Bonnie tried to argue. 

“I’m just saying you don’t need to use it for everything.” 

There he went again. The “Use magic less” talk was a staple of their small household whenever he was home but it drained her more than any Motus spell could. 

“I hear you,” Bonnie affirmed for peace sake. 

Rudy wiped his wet hands with a dishcloth. “So, how did you like Sophie?” 

“She seems nice. Very passionate about vegetables. Pretty too.” Those vague compliments placated Rudy because he didn’t ask further. Bonnie knew he liked her a lot. Why wouldn’t he? She was perfectly ordinary. It was no mystery why she appealed to Bonnie’s ordinary loving, bland father. 

The reason Bonnie believed her parents didn’t work out was because her Dad thought asking a red-blooded witch to give up magic would be a perfectly normal and acceptable thing. And her mother at the time thought it was what she wanted. Obviously, Grams did not approve at all. How could she? An elder in the council of the Gemini coven had a daughter who gave up being a witch for a mundane man. The spirits were probably shaking on the spirit plane. An entire legacy of Bennetts completely wasted. 

It seemed that way until a big bad in the form of the Original vampire hunter Mikeal rolled into Mystic Falls years ago looking for Bonnie’s best friend Elena, who turned out to be something called a doppelgänger and Abby was the one who ended him via desiccation spell. Not a small feat that earned her notoriety in the witch community. After tasting all that power, Abby decided the mundane life wasn’t for her and told Rudy she wanted that life once more. He did not take it well. 

“Is your guardian coming tonight?” He could barely hide the way guardian rolled off his tongue with disdain. 

“Yes.” 

“I see.” 

And like a man with ears on fire, Damon Salvatore entered through the back kitchen door, leather jacket and cocky smile never missing as always. 

“Hey, Damon.” She hugged him ignoring her Dad’s pointed looks. He didn’t like Damon if that wasn’t obvious already. 

“I literally saw you like four hours ago. Stop being a clinger.” He snarked as if he didn’t enjoy that hug too. 

“Damon.” Rudy said flat. 

Damon cranked up his signature charming smile. The one that got waitresses to give them extra fries or got him reduced speeding fines even without compulsion. It did not work on her Dad. It was hilarious that he still attempted it every time. “Mr. Hopkins. Hope you’re doing well this fine evening.” 

“Does she have to practice spelling at this exact hour?” Rudy questioned suspiciously. 

“Witching hour I’m afraid,” Damon said in his best apologetic tone. “Gets her at her very best in terms of energy.” 

“I thought that was midnight.” 

“Dad I told you. The hours between 9 and 11 pm are also powerful even if they don’t have the same pull as 12 on the dot,” She reminded him. 

He grunted in acceptance. He did not remember all of the magical rules anyway. 

“Unless you’d rather I take her out by midnight,” Damon offered. 

Rudy glared, “Be back by 11 pm or so help me, I don’t care if the council appointed you, you will never come near my daughter again.” Technically, just Sheila did. But her word was as good as law. Her Dad made a good bluff though. The reason Bonnie was allowed to stay in Mystic Falls was that Damon came too. It was part of the custody agreement. The one served by non-human lawyers that is. “Are we in agreement?” 

Damon saluted. “Yes sir. Loud and clear.” 

Bonnie hugged her Dad briefly. “Love you.” 

“Love you too Bunny.” 

It wasn’t until they were safely in Damon’s Camaro away from all listening ears that he asked. “So how did dinner with future step Mommy go?” 

Bonnie slapped his arm and buckled her seat belt. “She is literally the most boring person in the world so she’s perfect for him.” 

“Your dad? Boring? Nooooo.” He drawled sarcastically. “I mean a slice of plain white bread could take a lesson from him.” That just happened to be his favorite breakfast too. 

Bonnie sighed unbuttoning her jacket. “And you wonder why he doesn’t like you.” 

“He doesn’t like me because I remind him of your witchy heritage which we all know he’s not a big fan of. Also, maybe because I’ve been around you for like fifteen years or something without aging.” Damon roared the car to life. It was actually fourteen years. Damon was appointed her guardian when she was 4 years old. 

She shrugged, “Eh, could be. It could also be because you’re taking me to a bonfire while lying about magic lessons.” 

“You’re the one who asked for my help in going to some dumb bonfire. I'm just here to be a bad influence as always.” Damon drove out of her driveway with an expert one-handed turn of the wheel. Rudy wasn’t going to let her go citing flimsy reasons like “it’ll be too late” and “It’s a school night”. He was the sort who found hanging with AV nerds the height of fun or whatever they did in his day. She was eighteen for goodness sake, she shouldn’t have to ask permission to do stuff like that. 

Bonnie needed this. Magic lessons were enlightening but brutal. Plenty of schoolwork was done over the course of her summer to give her more time to devote to said magic lessons and therefore meant less time with her friends in school. That meant she barely even had a summer vacation to enjoy but at least her school year was freer. 

Grams was looking for any opportunity to get her back to Portland which wasn’t so bad since Liv, Luke and all her other Portland friend were there but also the eyes of the entire coven who seemed to be holding their breath to see what spectacular feat she would perform to bring honor to the Bennett name just like her grandmother and mother and all the other women in her family. 

It was a lot of pressure on Bonnie to live up to that. She deserved just one night where her only worries were battling a hangover the next day and making sure she didn’t kiss anyone gross while she was drunk. 

“Hey.” He patted her thigh. “Every teenager deserves to drink shitty beer and hang with questionable company.” 

“My friends aren’t weird Damon. Stop saying that.” 

“Maybe not that brunette one even though I'm pretty sure she has a crush on me, but that blonde one Caroline is definitely going to grow up and marry some old rich guy who dies suspiciously leaving everything to her.” Bonnie rolled her eyes. Elena did have a small crush on Damon in the past but it faded away once it was revealed he drank human blood for sustenance and as a hobby. That and the fact that he elected to pretend she didn’t exist most times. 

“Some would say the same about you but with the genders reserved.” Bonnie snickered. “And stop calling Elena that brunette one. I get that her face brings you some bad memories but try to be courteous please.” 

He decided to play dumb. “Who? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

She rolled her eyes. “I thought you were over the whole Katherine thing.” 

“I am,” He said sharply, eyes now completely focused on the road making Bonnie feel a little bad about bringing it up. Bonnie was thirteen years old when she asked Damon the reason he became her guardian. 

_ “A long time ago your ancestor saved me from getting fried thanks to a shitty ex of mine and I sort of owe her and by extension, all the Bennetts.” _

Emily Bennett saved his life that fateful night and so he pledged to watch over her line for as long as he remained alive which was a very long time. Mostly he just stayed in the shadows coming out to help Bennett women when it was necessary but Bonnie was the first witch he took a very active role with. Sheila Bennett asked him to watch over her granddaughter since she couldn’t be with her due to Rudy’s insistence that he raise her in Mystic Falls per the custody agreement. Bonnie still went to Portland every summer and break she could manage to make sure her magic education was kept fresh as could be. 

Damon didn’t stay in Mystic Falls a lot though. He just peeled in and out to keep track of her, making sure to keep his head down in order not to alert the Founder’s Council about his eternal good looks or the source. It was absolutely hilarious to Bonnie that the Founder’s Council turned out to be vampire hunters and no one knew. It made her look at Coach Clay and his whistle in a whole new light. It was just last year Damon got to meet Elena and Caroline. He knew about her being a doppelgänger but that didn’t stop the awful memories from pouring in at the sight of her face. Damon being himself decided to cope with it by doing what he did best; being an asshole. 

Poor Elena still couldn’t fight off her crush even then. 

Bonnie interlocked their fingers together. “Hey, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn’t have brought Katherine up.” 

Damon didn’t look at her but squeezed back. “No harm, no foul shorty. It was a long time ago. Not your fault my taste in women leans towards the ¬” 

“Sleazy and tasteless side?” She completed cheekily. 

“Brat.” He untangled their hands to swat her head making her protest. “I was going to say dumb and slutty but whatever.” 

Her humorous mood died down when her phone on her lap buzzed to notify her of a text message. There was one person on her phone who had that ringer and she didn’t want to talk to him right now. 

Damon gave her a pointed glance. “Is that who I think it is?” 

“No,” Bonnie denied too quickly. 

He grinned widely. “Oh, it is! I thought you weren’t talking to him.” 

“I’m not!” Her voice squeaked. 

“You forget I can hear your heart pounding shorty. You are definitely lying,” he sang out. 

She stuffed the phone in her pocket. “It is no one texting me and I am definitely not talking to him.” Many might consider it a small lie but the five minutes she spent yelling at him over the phone last night didn’t count. At all. 

“So, if I just happened to glance at your phone, I won’t see our elusive Gemini heir’s name in your call log?” Damon asked smugly. 

“Come near my phone and I'll give you an aneurysm.” 

“Feel free, if you want us to crash that is.” 

Bonnie's phone rang and it was him again. She sighed leaning her head back against the headrest making sure to ignore her vampire guardian’s face. The cat was already out of the bag anyway. She answered the call and snapped. “What?” 

“Oh.” His voice came out smooth and deep which was profoundly unfair because of how that voice did things to her. “Are you going to yell at me again? Because I'll admit it was kind of hot last time.” 

Goddess give her strength. 

Bonnie forced herself to sound nonchalant. “What do you want again Kai?” 

Something shuffled in the background. “Can’t I find out how my favorite girl is doing?” 

Damon made a suspicious noise which sounded just like a laugh. She folded herself on the seat and faced her back to him flipping him off in the process. “I’m not your favorite girl Kai. Stop saying that.”  _ No, don’t _ ! Her traitorous heart called out. She stomped it down with a hundred self-care quotes. 

“True. You're my only girl.” 

She bit her entire fist forcing down the whimper threatening to erupt from her throat. “I am not your girl and if you cared about me at all, you’d have told me where you were going.” 

Kai sighed. “This again. Bonnie, it’s for your own good. I can’t reveal some things to protect you.” 

“That is so freaking cliché.” She snorted. “You might be the heir but I'm no spring chicken myself. Something everyone conveniently forgets when it suits them.” 

“You’re the baddest witch there is Bonster, I'm not denying that.” Compliments rolled off him like butter. It was no surprise why nearly every girl who came in contact with him fell hard. Once they got past the sociopathic tendencies, that is. Not that Bonnie did, she just decided to focus elsewhere most of the time. 

Those rock-hard abs for example. 

“But some things I have to do myself. It's part of being a leader. You know this,” Kai insisted. She did know it. That didn’t mean she had to like it though. 

“Your dad called me yesterday to ask if I knew where you went,” Bonnie said quietly. There was silence on the other end. Even Damon glanced at her with concern. It was no secret that there was no love lost between the current Gemini leader Joshua Parker and the heir. The nicest way to put it was that they had different ideals. The truth was that they pretty much hated each other. But coven laws couldn’t be countered and Kai was chosen which couldn’t be disputed so the worst Joshua could do was to grumble from time to time. 

It took Bonnie off-guard to receive a call from the coven leader himself since the most they’d spoken in fourteen years was a total of five times if she were being generous. He called to ask very politely in that temperate manner of his which made her skin crawl if she had any idea where his son had gone to. 

“What did you tell him?” Kai’s voice went uncharacteristically hard. 

“The freaking moon,” She snapped in annoyance. “What do you think I told him? I have no idea where you are since you refuse to tell me.” The official story Kai gave before hopping on a plane was that he was going on a magical research trip. An obvious lie since he was not a procurer or tracker for the coven. Her mother Abby was actually one of the best procurers they had. 

Joshua didn’t believe her and pressed further. To save face Bonnie asked why he thought she of all people would know his son’s whereabouts. He paused for an awfully long time before saying. “Good point. Have a good day Miss. Bennett.” then cut the call. 

Kai sighed in relief. There was no reason for him to even be tense. She didn’t know enough to actually tell anyone anything. “I’m sorry for all of this. I promise that when I get back, I'll tell you. I just need you to trust me a while longer.” 

Bonnie chewed her bottom lip. “Why should I trust you? Give me a single reason why.” 

“Because you’re one of the only people I do trust.” 

Damon’s head snapped towards her with a startled expression because for a moment it sounded like her heart really stopped. This boy had no business saying things like that when they weren’t, well, anything. Or rather anything concrete. Or anything. Gah, he drove her so crazy. In all the good and bad ways. 

“I’ll hold you to that.” She was proud that her voice cracked just a little. “You have to make it up to me though.” 

He chuckled, low and sultry. Damn, she walked into a trap. “And how do you suggest I do that? Maybe when you’re in Portland we can go to that cabin again and ¬” 

“Bye Kai.” Bonnie squeaked out and cut the call before anything further could be said. There was silence in the car. She was pointedly staring outside the window counting trees while Damon just continued driving with an amused expression on his face. They arrived at the bonfire, parking a few paces away. From the sight of flickering fire and distant sounds of laughter, the party was already in full swing. 

Damon turned the ignition off tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel. “So, what exactly happened at the cabin?” 

There was the temptation to do a full cloaking spell. If he couldn’t see her face then it wouldn’t be so bad right? 

“No cloaking spell Bennett.” Dammit, he knew her too well. Bonnie sighed covering her face with both hands. “It was Sean’s uncle’s cabin. We were thereafter the Solstice.” 

“The party I remember Sheila saying you couldn’t go to,” Damon said pointedly. 

She groaned internally. “Yes, but I went with Liv.” No way she was going to miss the best party of the summer just because Grams said so. “You were out with some bimbo anyway so no room to judge at all. Kai was there with Nora and the rest. We were drinking some beers and ended up in a lone bedroom and well stuff happened.” she mumbled the rest. 

“You slept with him?!” 

“Keep your damn voice down,” Bonnie hissed, flailing her hands around. “No, we didn’t have sex. We did some other stuff but not full-on intercourse.” 

“Is that why you two have been acting so weird around each other lately?” Damon asked in realization. 

“You noticed?” 

“Everyone has Bon.” She wanted to die of embarrassment. It was true that after that particular experience things between them changed. She was trying to ignore it and Kai did not compute that request. Instead, he found reasons and excuses to be around her all through her stay in Portland. Attended training classes he already surpassed just to be near her, showing off mostly. Insisting she attend council meetings she rather would have missed but saying it was her right since she’d be the one to inherit Sheila’s seat when she left it. Finding reasons to visit the Bennett house to fix everything from the AC to the porch to the goddamn curtain rods. They were not broken in the first place but Kai swore he noticed they were crooked from his last visit. 

While a flirty Kai was not an unusual thing in all the years she’d known him, it was this past summer that he really seemed to turn it up. Bonnie could admit to having a small crush on him when she was younger. It wasn’t her fault though. He was the cute Gemini heir. All the girls had a thing for him. In the past, he never seemed to see her as more than little Bonnie Bennett, his siblings’ friend, and Sheila’s granddaughter. 

He was absent the last two summers she visited Portland. Working on finishing college and traveling around the territory to learn more before his 22 nd birthday when he’d officially take the title of leader was the cause. No doubt especially since Joshua voiced concern over his readiness several times. 

But he was present this time and boy did it change so many things. 

“Do you like him?” Damon tried a softer approach. 

She shrugged. “I like him but my feelings are honestly a jumbled mess right about now. I mean, on one hand, he’s been genuinely sweet and open in a surprising way. On the other hand, he’s Kai.” Kai was a complicated person to untangle. On one hand, he was charismatic, playful, and a talented witch. On the other hand, he did questionable things like directly challenging his father’s mantle when he was just 17 with no proof that he was yet the chosen heir. 

“True that,” He agreed. “I did notice that you guys got closer this summer.” Everyone had. No doubt it was the reason Joshua thought she’d somehow become his keeper. 

Bonnie played with the tips of her hair rolling it around her finger. “I guess... I don’t know. We've been talking a lot more about well, everything.” After their time in the cabin, he didn’t pull away from her like she thought he would. He did have a reputation for hitting and leaving. But with her, he coiled closer. “He even helped me practice Pyrokinesis and  _ mentis imperium _ .” the last phrase was whispered knowing the reaction it would garner. 

“Jeez Bonnie, mind control? You know that’s forbidden magic!” Damon said loudly in alarm. 

Bonnie cringed. “I know ok?! We just tried it once. Kai wanted to show me what it was like and I just wanted to know for myself. I promise we didn’t hurt anyone.” It happened right after a particularly difficult Elemental Control lesson with Sean’s uncle, one of the tutors. Feeling downtrodden, Kai decided to cheer her up by giving her a personalized lesson. He took her to a large field not far from the Parker house and set up wooden blocks a few meters away. 

His hands around her waist, lips brushing against her ear whispering words about breathing and control was what she needed to shake off whatever bugs cluttered up her head and she lit about four wooden blocks simultaneously. In celebration, he took her to a dive bar far away from Gemini territory and coaxed the bartender to serve her despite being underaged using the forbidden mind control spell,  _ mentis imperium. _ His slow chanting horrified her at first when she recognized the first few words but not the latter. Then that horror turned to fascination and awe when the beer-bellied grumpy bartender obeyed without hesitation. The power was so intoxicating to witness that she kissed Kai on the ride back home, fingers desperately entangled in his hair and hips pressed on his clothed crotch in the backseat. 

“You do realize if anyone caught you, that’s grounds for expulsion, right?” Damon faced her to drive home the severity of her actions. “Kai is the heir. He'll get a slap on the wrist since no one can technically oust him but you will be the one in the line of fire. Not even Sheila’s influence can save you.” 

“I know!” Bonnie shouted in frustration. She sighed. “I know it was stupid and irresponsible but it was one time. I promise I won’t do it again.” 

“How did he even know how to do it?” 

_ Mentis Imperium _ was forbidden for a reason. To take complete control over a person’s mind and will was not an easy thing. Generally, a strong mind would thrash and fight back. It took a very powerful witch to accomplish it. Some saw it as dark magic although in Bonnie’s opinion no magic was truly dark. It all depended on the intentions of the caster. Whatever the case, it was strictly forbidden. Any witch caught attempting to practice it would be banished from the coven. As a result, witches were taught just the first half of the spell to recognize it but the final words were unknown to many. Not even most elders knew it. 

“He didn’t tell me,” Bonnie replied helplessly. 

The vampire massaged his temple. “Fuck. There are risks you can’t take shorty. Don't fucking try that shit again.” 

“I’m sorry.” She looked down sufficiently chastened. 

Damon sighed. “Fuck. I can’t believe I'm saying this but Parker might be a bad influence on you.” 

She snorted. “I doubt it. He's unorthodox and wild but Kai’s not the dumbass everyone makes him out to be.” 

Damon studied her. “Never thought I'd see you actively defending him but wonders and all. The heir or not, he better fucking treat you well.” 

Bonnie felt her face go red but not with embarrassment. It felt nice to have Damon defend her. “We’re not together. Whatever was between us was just some summer thing.” her chest tightened at the thought. “He won’t even tell me where he was going.” that one felt almost like a rejection. She spent almost all her free time in the summer sneaking him into her room for make-out sessions and practicing spells together at midnight. Whispering secrets to each other. It just seemed like all that should be enough to build some trust. Then again, they never really put any labels on what they were doing so Bonnie had no room to feel the way she did. 

“Knowing him it’s probably some shady shit. I mean if he can learn all the words to the mind control spell then he’s doing something I don’t think I'd like you to know at all,” Damon reasoned removing his keys from the ignition. He was probably right. Especially if his Dad seemed desperate to know his whereabouts. 

Bonnie released the seatbelt and came out of the car, slamming it shut and leaning on the window. “Maybe you’re right. Whatever, I don’t want to think about Kai right now. Thanks for bringing me, are you sure you don’t want to stay?” 

“Let’s see, hang with a bunch of 17 and 18-year-olds getting drunk on Blue Ribbon. Thanks, I'll pass.” He winked, driving off into the night. She rolled her eyes smiling. 

Matt was the first person she walked into. He hugged her enthusiastically then said something about going to find his sister somewhere. Elena and Caroline were standing over by some trees with a cooler of beer nearby and some cute guy she’d never seen before. 

“Bonnie!” Caroline hugged her. “I missed you so much! Why weren’t you at school today?” 

Bonnie laughed remembering how powerful Caroline’s hugs were. “Just some shit to sort out at the office with my credits. Took nearly the whole day and I just didn’t wanna bother in the end. I texted you remember?” 

“Yeah, but it was so boring without you. We've already had to see less of you this summer,” the blonde pouted. 

Bonnie patted her face affectionately, “Don’t be bitter. It causes wrinkles.” 

“Hey Bonnie,” Elena said brightly. She crossed over to give her own hug. The guy beside her stiffened slightly. Bonnie raised an eyebrow. Interesting. 

“Lena. How are you doing?” Elena’s parents had died last year and she was still adjusting. 

Elena smiled. “I’m ok, I think. Oh, Bonnie, there’s someone you have to meet. This is Stefan, I invited him. He goes to our school now. Stefan, this is Bonnie, our friend.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Stefan extended his hand for a shake. 

Bonnie accepted, stiffening when her fingers brushed a familiar appendage. A gaudy ring. She kept calm hoping he wouldn’t pick up on the change in her heart rate. He was a vampire. And to think she thought this school year would be boring. 

“You too Stefan,” She replied coolly. “Say, did you just move into town?” 

“I did. I was actually born here but left really young. I actually live with my uncle Zach Salvatore.” Oh damn, this was no random vampire. The Salvatore manor was Damon’s family property. This must be his brother. He'd told her he had a sibling once. Didn't go into much detail. She did know he was involved in the Katherine mess and that was why they were a bit estranged. 

“What brings you into town?” Bonnie asked casually. 

He shrugged, “Been around for a while. Figured it was time to get back to my roots.” 

She guessed that Damon didn’t know or he would have said something. Part of his job as her guardian was to report the presence of any other supernatural creatures in Mystic Falls. What was this Salvatore doing here? If she guessed correctly by his association with Elena, it had something to do with doppelgänger shenanigans. Double shit. She needed to talk to Damon. 

“Well I hope Mystic Falls is as nice as you remember,” Bonnie flexed her fingers. 

“It is,” He spoke curtly. 

Her friends picked up on the weird tension and sought to salvage the situation. Caroline picked a beer from the cooler and tossed it to Bonnie who caught it with impressive dexterity. 

“How was summer camp, Bonnie?” She asked pointedly. 

“The same,” was all Bonnie replied. Her friends knew she was a witch. That cat was let out of the bag the moment they met Damon. It wasn’t expressly forbidden for witches to reveal themselves but knowing mundanes and their propensity to blab or hunt things they didn’t understand, it was encouraged either. Grams approved for Elena to know because her status as a doppelgänger meant there might come a time she would need to be aware. Then Bonnie told Caroline because she could never leave her out of anything. Both girls were sworn to absolute secrecy, mostly because they were afraid of Grams. Their knowledge of the witch community was very limited though. 

All they knew was that Bonnie had to leave every summer and most holidays to Portland to fulfill her witchy duties. 

“Any cute guys?” Elena teased. 

Bonnie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I’ll let you know when I find any.” 

She was itching to find an excuse to whip out her phone and text Damon. The excuse came when a scream pierced through the night and Tyler emerged carrying a bleeding Vicki Donovan along with her frantic brother Matt. 

“Oh my god!” Caroline exclaimed. “What happened? Someone call 911!” 

Elena was that someone, rapidly typing and speaking to the operator. Bonnie crouched near the bleeding girl. “Did you see what happened to her?” 

Tyler shook his head. “No, I just heard screaming and found her like this. She's bleeding from her neck.” Vicki was indeed bleeding from her neck. From two puncture wounds to be precise. Bonnie looked up to find Stefan looking at Vicki with a puzzled expression. Either he was faking it or he too was surprised to find those wounds. It seemed he might not be the only vamp visitor in town. 

Double shit. 

With everyone’s attention on Vicki, Bonnie slipped away to make a quick phone call. It rang twice before he picked up. “Don’t tell me you’re drunk already ¬” 

“There’s been an attack. The girl has two puncture wounds on her neck,” Bonnie interrupted. 

“What?” Damon went serious. “Is it what I think it is?” 

“It might be. Oh, and another thing, your brother is in town.” 

  


  



	2. 2. the fixers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries are made and Sheila makes an appearance to fix things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon? Don't know her. Once again, I am fast and loose with the timeline so keep that in mind, and thank you for all the previous reviews. Keep em coming. Love y'all.

Mystic Falls was a town with plenty of open secrets. Like how Mayor Lockwood wasn't fooling anyone with his numerous poorly hidden affairs, Mrs. Partridge wasn't growing just tomatoes in her back garden, and the fact that the Founders Council was a front for vampire hunters. Now, were they really good at vampire hunting? That was debatable.

Damon managed to remain in plain sight for so long and never got caught once. They kept vervain around the town but a skilled vampire would have no problem going around it without a single burn. Putting it in the water would be much more effective. They were a bunch of middle-aged men and women who'd probably never even seen one before apart from the detailed journals of their great grandparents so it's not like they knew any better.

But that didn't stop the rush of apprehension that went through Bonnie when Sheriff Forbes' brown uniform and no-nonsense ponytail came into view. She came out of Vicki's hospital room with a calculating look. Bonnie was there with Damon who drove back like a madman after the bomb she dropped over the phone about his brother's appearance. By the time she was finished with the phone call, Stefan was long gone. He drove off with Elena and Caroline who wanted to go to the hospital to get some information and a clearer picture of what happened to Vicki. Bonnie asked them to go ahead saying she'd catch a ride with someone else.

She was careful not to say Damon's name in front of Stefan.

"Bonnie." The sheriff said with a small nod. Her eyes glazed over Damon with mild interest. "Here to see Vicki?"

"Yes, Sheriff." Bonnie made sure to appear as demure as possible crossing her legs as she sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. "I-I was there during the party and I was so worried. I just wanted to make sure she's ok."

The sheriff seemed to soften at that. "She's alive but out of it. Not sure if they're letting her see any visitors right about now but you're free to wait with your… friend. Matt was here earlier but I made him grab something to eat or else the poor kid would wait here all night."

"Thanks. We'll do that." Bonnie gripped Damon's fingers tighter.

"You were at the party. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?" She questioned.

Bonnie shook her head. "Not at all. I just heard screams and saw Tyler and Matt carrying her. She was bleeding. Do you have any idea what might have happened?"

The Sheriff smiled tightly. "Sorry, Bonnie. We're investigating so I can't share any details but between us, I think this might be an animal attack. What kind, well, that's the real question."

"Hopefully one that can be put down," Damon muttered.

"If you hear or remember anything that could be helpful, call the station, will you?"

"I will," Bonnie affirmed.

Sheriff Forbes nodded then walked past them out of the ward. Bonnie turned to Damon. "Do you think she suspects vampires?"

Damon shook his head. "I have no idea. The woman isn't exactly Buffy but I can't exactly say that she's stupid." It might not mean anything in the grand scheme. She was the sheriff and an attack on a citizen of the town would surely put anyone in a joyless mood. But inexperienced didn't mean stupid. Vicki's wounds were precise and it would surely put anyone with the tiniest knowledge of vampires on alarm.

"Do we even suspect it's a vampire?"

"If it barks like a dog."

He was right. The likelihood that something else managed to bite Vicki in the neck the way it did was a far-fetched one.

She hunched down her shoulders. "Did you have any idea your brother was coming to town?"

Damon grimaced leaning against a vending machine. "Last time I saw him, JFK was still alive. Haven't exactly made a point to keep tabs on him and I don't exactly announce myself to any living Salvatores whenever I come into town."

"He seems to have taken a liking to Elena," Bonnie interlocked her fingers over her knee.

"Of fucking course." He swore, rubbing his chin. Doppelgänger shenanigans all over again. He promised Sheila he wouldn't get involved in anything to do with Katherine and her descendants by default but Stefan made no such promise. What was his little brother doing here exactly? Trying to chase a mirror image for closure? "Always making the same mistakes over and over again."

"I have to ask D; do you think he had anything to do with Vicki's attack?" She lowered her voice.

Damon sat beside her. "My brothers' had his problems but last time we saw he was more or less the broodier, less sparky version of Edward Cullen. He drinks rabbit blood and pretends to be happy about it so no, I doubt it. Didn't you say you were talking to him when you heard the scream?"

"I did but we have to be sure." Bonnie played with the button of her jacket. That meant there was another vampire in town which was not good news at all. If the council decided to put their ears to the ground it could endanger Damon.

When the coast was clear and the few nurses on the floor seemed sufficiently distracted, the two snuck into Vicki's room. She was pale and passed out. A few tubes sticking out to create an uncomfortable image. On her neck was a large gauze bandage. Bonnie peeled it away to see the two puncture marks on her neck. "There's no denying that one. What can we do to help her?"

"Can't heal her that's for sure," Damon said bluntly. "A miracle recovery will just create more questions than answers and if the council has half a brain, they might begin to begin to suspect that a vampire is involved."

"We can't leave her like this." Bonnie frowned stroking the injured girl's hair. Vicki and Matt Donovan had it pretty hard. Their mom wasn't around much and their dad wasn't around at all. While she was closer to Matt than Vicki, she tried her best to look out for them whenever she was in town. They were frequent guests at the Bennett household for dinner whenever her dad was out of town. Vicki didn't always like to come saying she wasn't interested in anyone's charity but Bonnie made sure he left with an extra plate.

Damon sighed. "I can compel her to say an animal attacked her. Just in case the sheriff comes asking questions when she's awake. But we have to find out if she knows anything."

"If she saw who did this to her." Bonnie caressed her forehead to rouse her. Vicki stirred with an annoyed groan. Her eyes fluttered slowly, irritated by the bright lights then squinted in confusion. "Bonnie?" her voice was weak and hoarse. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

Before Bonnie could offer any reassuring words, Damon grabbed Vicki by the chin and tilted her head towards him. "What did you see tonight? Who attacked you?"

"Really?" disappointment and annoyance dripped from the witch.

"We're saving time. Besides after what your boyfriend did you might want to refrain from being judgmental for a while." He brushed her off to justify his use of compulsion. She knew he was right so Bonnie reluctantly kept her mouth shut.

Vicki stared blankly. "I don't know. It was a woman."

"What did she look like?"

"I don't know. I've never seen her before. But she told me to tell everyone a vampire attacked me." Bonnie felt her blood go cold at that admission. She and Damon exchanged twin shocked expressions with one another.

"Did she say why?" Bonnie asked with urgency.

"No. She told me to say a vampire attacked me." Vicki answered drolly. This was no random attack then. Someone wanted the people of Mystic Falls to be aware of the vampire population in the town. Things had just taken a different dimension. After a few more probing questions that came up short, the interrogation was forced to end. Whoever this vampire was she compelled Vicki to forget every detail about her. Damon compelled her to think a large animal attacked her.

Bonnie leaned over Vicki's forehead whispering a spell to calm her down and give her sweet dreams. It was the one her mother whispered to her as a child whenever she had a nightmare. A subtle and harmless form of mind manipulation that made the recipient see only pleasant things in their dreams. Rudy put a stop to it the moment he found out claiming it was unethical.

"We've gotta report this to the Gemini council," Damon said as they left the room of the sleeping girl. Bonnie sighed stuffing both hands into the pockets of her jacket. "You know Grams is going to demand I go over to Portland."

"Frankly I'm not sure I'd disagree with her," He said matter-of-factly. "Having you here while a rogue vampire is running around town doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable. Especially one who doesn't seem intent of keeping a low profile."

"I don't need to leave," Bonnie folded her arms. "That's why you're here isn't it? To keep me safe."

"True, but my brother is here and that's a whole new ingredient to add to a vastly complicating situation. We already have no idea who we're dealing with and what their motives are." Stefan wasn't exactly privy to the fact that Damon was guardian to the newest Bennett. Her safety came first and he couldn't trust even his brother not to compromise that. They hadn't seen each other in too long and as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't trust him yet.

"We can get to the bottom of this ourselves." Bonnie was starting to sound desperate but she didn't care. In Portland, all eyes were on her. Everyone seemed to be waiting for her to destroy an entire army of demons by herself or something. There was always some statement, some remark about her having yet to prove herself worthy of the Bennett name. In Mystic Falls there was none of that. Just two people apart from her Dad knew she was a witch. There was no pressure here, just freedom. She loved being a witch but everyone expected so much from her all the damn time.

Grams engaged one on one successfully with the tyrant vampire king of New Orleans who'd banned all the witches from performing their ancestral magic and united the Nine Covens in alliance with the Gemini, earning herself a place on the high council. All before she was forty.

Abby desiccated Mikael when Bonnie was just a toddler. Amelia Bennett, her great grandmother, created the first prison world using her blood and an ancient artifact when she was just a young woman. Their exploits went on like that. Bennett women were known in the supernatural world as exceptional by birth.

Bonnie barely passed pyrokinesis until Kai helped her.

There would come the time when she couldn't escape it any longer. Portland was always meant to be the end of a very long tunnel. But for the moment she just wanted to put it off a little while longer.

"If we find out who's doing this then there'll be no need to tell Grams anything." She hoped that would convince Damon.

He just sighed looking down. "You know I can't do that shorty. It's out of my hands." Bonnie deflated. It was the bitter truth. He was obligated to report any supernatural activity in town to the high council or face disciplinary action. She couldn't put that on him. It was worth a try though.

"Take me home then," Bonnie said morosely. Damon looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue. He just put an arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the ward.

So much for freedom.

* * *

The next morning Bonnie woke up to her phone ringing by her bedside table. She groaned and stretched feeling ready to cuss out whoever was calling so early. It was barely six am. Her fingers blindly fumbled until they grasped the phone and she answered without looking at the ID.

"Hello?"

"Bonnie." It was her grandmother. All traces of sleep disappeared. Bonnie sat up. "Grams."

"Damon told me about the attack last night." Goddammit, couldn't he have given her a few hours more? Deep down she knew that he didn't have a choice and was just doing his duty but the petty part of her mind blamed him anyway. She repressed a groan and answered. "Yes, it was a vampire attack. That's what all the evidence points to. We're not sure who did yet but they compelled my friend to say it was a vampire. The motive for that is unclear."

"I see." Bonnie braced herself for instructions to pack and get on a plane to Portland immediately. On the tip of her tongue were a thousand protests and excuses waiting.

"I want you to keep an eye on the situation." That was not at all what she was expecting.

"You want me to what?" She couldn't help but ask again in case her sleep-addled brain was making up words.

Sheila chuckled. "Don't sound so surprised Bonnie. You're a big girl. You've grown this summer and I would be remiss not to acknowledge that. Damon brought to my attention that it would be good for you to face a task without my direct supervision for once." The petty feeling morphed into gratitude. He might deserve a bottle of that gross bourbon he liked to say thank you.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie had suggested to Damon last night out of desperation but thinking about it now, she wasn't as certain it was something that she could pull off. Catching her first vampire? There was a level of training witches received to defend themselves as vampires but actively seeking one out wasn't covered.

"To be completely honest with you, I'm not. I would rather you're here by my side away from any form of danger but I realize that I can't do that for the rest of your life. You're a young woman now and danger will come knocking whether I want it to or not. Such is the burden of the power we carry."

She'd heard some form of that speech a thousand times before. About what it meant to be a Bennett. Duty and power and family above all. Sacrifices to be made. All it made her think of were the numerous burdens she could expect to come her way with time. It was a weight she'd carried around from the moment her five-year-old self levitated her first feather.

"Don't get too excited though. I'm sending a representative later to keep an eye on the situation." Well, she couldn't get everything she wanted but it was better than nothing.

"I'd expect nothing less Grams. Who is it?"

"Coleman." Bonnie suppressed a groan. Coleman was a hard ass. One of the traditionalists who would love witches to go back to the old ways of living far away from mundanes and using other creatures as slaves. What made it weird was that he was like thirty. He respected Sheila a great deal and was one of those who made sure to remind Bonnie how she wasn't living up to the Bennett name every damn time. Oh, and he hated vampires if that wasn't already obvious. This would be buckets of fun.

"Are you sure hell can spare one more demon?" Bonnie muttered.

"Stop it. He's a good investigator," Sheila chastened. "Not to mention the council voted on him."

"I know. When will he be here?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. You can expect him then." that gave herself and Damon just a few hours to get their own leads before Coleman to butt in.

"Alright." Bonnie stood up from the bed. "I'll call you later tonight Grams."

"I look forward to it. Have you spoken to your mother?"

Bonnie shrugged even though her grandmother couldn't see her. "No, but I know she's on assignment so she'll call me when she's back. Dad introduced me to his girlfriend last night."

Sheila chuckled elegantly. "How did that go?"

"She's as boring as a loaf of bread but he likes her." there was silence. Rudy and Sheila didn't have the best relationship for obvious reasons. Mostly since they wanted different things for her.

They both represented two spectrums of existence for Bonnie. Sheila wanted her to reach her full potential as a witch while Rudy would prefer if magic were no longer in the equation. All Bonnie wanted was a balance between these two worlds but the contention between her grandmother and father seemed to represent the impossibility of such a dream.

"I have to go but I'll speak to you later dear. I love you."

"Love you too, Grams." Bonnie smiled before cutting the line.

She inhaled deeply sitting on the edge of the bed. Last night was a puzzle she needed to figure out fast. The good thing was that Sheila was giving her space to prove herself. At least a few hours' worth of it anyway. With any luck, she wouldn't step foot in Portland until the end of the year. Coleman might make things a little difficult but he was much-needed help. They didn't have any idea what or who they were dealing with.

Vampires were not flashy by nature. They preferred to live in the shadows and the darkness despite their daylight rings. They did all they could to blend in with humans for their survival. At least most did since there were always the reckless amongst them who thrived on chaos. For one to openly attack someone and compel them to report it meant they were looking for trouble. A likely hypothesis was that someone was framing a vampire to put the town council on alert. To the best of her knowledge, Damon was the only vampire in town. Apart from his newcomer brother, Mystic Falls didn't exactly make a great ground zero for creatures of the night to seek long-term habitation. For one it was a small town which made it hard to blend in. Visitors got flagged immediately. The reason Damon was here was because of her. As her guardian, he had to be wherever she was.

New York or Chicago would be more ideal for the average to remain incognito. Hell, NOLA was their mecca. They practically walked freely without shame there. No vampire would willingly stay in Mystic Falls if they had a choice.

Whoever they were, their goal was to make noise and she needed to know why.

She wasn't exactly sure why Stefan was here but that's what they needed to find out. Her phone vibrated. It was a call from Damon.

"What's up? I just spoke to Grams." Bonnie rubbed her eye.

"Awesome. I need you to come to the boarding house now." Damon dived right in.

She frowned. "The boarding house? You're not in your apartment? What's going on?"

There was a clattering sound in the background and a deep groan. Someone was in pain. "Long story short, I went to find my brother. Imagine my surprise and his when we came face to face."

"Are you ok?" Bonnie's eyes widened and she shot up from her bed.

"I'm fine, shorty. We just yelled, screamed, and stabbed each other repeatedly but that's what all siblings do. Stefan had a fascinating reason for returning to this shithole town, and you might want to hear it. He didn't attack Vicki but I get the feeling that he might be able to lead us to whoever did."

"I'll be there shortly." the line beeped.

Some progress at least. She went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. It was a shame she'd have to skip another day of school. At least those summer school classes had some merit.

She typed a quick message to Elena and Caroline telling them she'd be absent and giving what she hoped was a decent excuse why.

It was a good thing Rudy had gone on another business trip this morning. It would not have been a joy to explain that to him at all.

* * *

Kai took another sip of wine. He knew shit all about reds and whites, sauvignon and merlot. That was Joshua's forte. His father made sure to indulge in everything that a pretentious person would need to fill their resume. Wine, opera, classical music. He hated it all. And like every good boy who resented their father, Kai did his best to abandon all those things and take up the opposite.

But he had to admit that his host had a very good selection of wine. The man might be a grade-A premium dick but had an eye for the finer things.

He peered over the New York skyline. The sun was setting and the sky was bursting with gorgeous colors. He could care less but he knew someone who might. How he wished she was here with him.

Bonnie appreciated this sort of thing. She was one of those witches who appreciated nature and all its grandeur and blah blah. Not to deny the influence that nature had over their magic but Kai was the practical sort. He wasn't into singing kumbaya in the forest. He celebrated nature by reveling in the power beneath his fingertips. The way it flowed right through him. The power itself was what deserved to be admired.

Bonnie.

He couldn't wait to go back to her. He'd always resented the fact that she lived in her dumb hometown to maintain her "regular life" but he kept his mouth shut. At least Sheila hated it too. The good thing was that he had some business that would lead him there so he had an excuse to finally see his girl. Even if she was being a stubborn shit and refusing to talk to him.

That might be a teensy bit his fault considering he up and left without telling her where he was going. In Kai's defense, he did it to maintain plausible deniability on her end. That snake Joshua was already sniffing around her and the last thing he needed was for her to take the heat for his choices. She would understand. Eventually.

She'd probably stomp around or use a muting spell if she was really angry.

He missed her so much.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and answered without looking at the ID. There were two people whose numbers he programmed into the burner for this trip anyway. "Hello?"

"Malachai." Sheila drawled.

"And what might I do for you madam grand chancellor?" he had a shit-eating grin.

She rolled her eyes as if she could see it. "Cut it out, son. I need you to do something for me."

"I'm currently busy you know. Venice is very cold this time of the year. The witches here aren't very welcoming of people leaving their villa without notice." he tried to deflect. The official story was that he was learning with some Strega's.

"We both know you're in New York, Kai. I wasn't born yesterday."

He didn't even bother to deny it. "Does my father know?"

"No." her voice was steady. "I won't tell him unless you give me a reason to. I don't know what you're doing Malachai but I trust that you won't make any decisions that will bring harm to this coven." there was a warning there layered with trust. He wouldn't have it any other way. Sheila let him have his secrets as long as they didn't bring trouble. It was the best way to deal with Kai.

"Everything I do is to help this coven. You know that." Kai had very few admirable traits but one that was one of them. His devotion to the coven was unshakable and it would remain so. Not even Joshua could find fault in that and he tried. The problem was his methods in securing the ideal future he sought for the Gemini.

"Good. I need a favor from you. There's been an attack in Mystic Falls." the grip on his wine glass tightened.

"I see. Any of our members caught in the crossfire?" Kai's voice was gruff. Sheila smiled at the change. Her granddaughter and Malachai may have thought she was a blind old woman, but she could see what was in front of her.

"Bonnie is alright if that's what you're asking. It was a friend of hers who was allegedly attacked by a vampire. The details around it are strange and suspicious. I've told her to remain against my better judgment and see what she can find with her guardian."

"Is that wise?" He managed to keep his tone respectful rather than shouting it out like he wanted to. If there was an attack Bonnie needed to be carted off from that place pronto. Why the hell hadn't Sheila given the order?

"She's confident she can make some discoveries and I've decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. However, I'm not going to let her sail blind. That's why I'm asking you to go to Mystic Falls." she didn't mince words. "Stay close to her. Help her in whatever way you can. If there's anyone I trust it's you. I told her I'd be sending Coleman but I thought she would appreciate the surprise." Sheila Bennett was a crafty imp in the body of a harmless old woman.

Kai snorted. "We're just little rooks to you huh? Fine I'll head there tomorrow night." he planned to go there in a week but he was sure his host wouldn't mind speeding up their plans. He could kill two birds with one stone.

"Thank you." her gratitude was genuine.

Kai cut the call and drained the rest of his wine. This might be a merlot. Time to tell his new partner their plans were changing just a little bit.


End file.
